Motorists were warned not to travel unless absolutely necessarily today as Met Office forecasters issued amber ‘be prepared’ weather warnings with up to 12 inches of snow expected to fall in parts of Scotland.

Officers said there is a 'high risk' of disruption and delays on the roads in areas covered by the alert, which is valid until 10pm on Friday.

Sheep graze in a field as the Met Office in Thornhill, Scotland, as Met Office upgrades its weather warning across the country

Ambaaa warning! Sheep in Thornhill seem on message as forecasters have issued an amber warning of snow and icy conditions in Southern Scotland with the police advising people to leave work early in affected areas

Animals play in the snow at the Drummond Safari Park near Stirling. Left, a Barbary Macaque with a carrot from a snowman's nose, right, a young lion playing

Young lions playing at Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling after snowfall in Central Scotland, as the country gets warned to prepare for up to a foot of snow

Forecasters said there is a chance of power cuts, while some rural communities may be cut off.

Met Office spokesman Graham Madge told MailOnline: 'The situation is that there is a lot of cold air in Scotland that is staying, while warmer air is coming over to the rest of the UK, particularly in the south west by next week.

'Due to the moisture of it, there is a risk that it will bring further rain and snow across Scotland, the north of England and Wales.

'Across the UK we are seeing temperatures drop below freezing and snowfall of 10-15cm will be seen in west and central areas of Scotland . There is also a risk of black ice forming due to the change of air temperature over the next few days.

A postman delivers mail in blizzard conditions near Doune, Central Scotland, as the Met Office has issued an amber 'be prepared' warning of snow and ice for parts of Scotland

A man clears snow as the Met Office upgrades its weather warning across the country in Wanlockhead, Scotland

A snow plough clears roads as the Met Office issues a new warning of snow and icy conditions in Southern Scotland with the police advising people to leave work early in affected areas

Snow settles on a war memorial as the Met Office upgrade its weather warning weather warning across the country

'Across the board we expect temperatures to increase from Monday and Tuesday. But it will still remain cold as January is obviously a winter month. And the snow is expected to turn into rain in some parts.'

Superintendent Louise Blakelock, of Police Scotland's Road Policing department, said: 'If you travel on the road network in the warning area, you will be disrupted and you will face significant delays.

'With that in mind I would urge the public to think and plan ahead for their return journey home this afternoon.

'If you are able to, please make your homeward journey earlier. If you are an employer, please think carefully about allowing your staff to return home early if possible.

'I would like to make it clear that there is a high risk of disruption for road journeys and with that comes a high likelihood of the conditions being very poor, therefore I would ask people whether their journey is really necessary?'

The Scottish Government said the Multi Agency Response Team (MART), involving partner organisations such as Police Scotland, is monitoring the situation.

Umbrellas up! People embrace the snow in Dundee, east Scotland as the Met office warns against all but essential travel

People go travel to and from work in icy Dundee as the Scotland's Transport minister urges people to avoid travel

Scotland's Transport Minister Humza Yousaf MSP said: 'With the Met Office issuing another amber warning for snow, we are facing another potentially difficult period for drivers on the trunk road network.

'We're being told the period between 3pm and 10pm tonight is going to be challenging, so I'm urging people to avoid travel within the amber area at that time.

'More widely, we're advising people to avoid travel if possible. If you choose to travel, particularly in the evening peak period, you are likely to face significant delays and disruption.

'Consider if you can make your journey home from work earlier than usual. Scottish Government officials are contacting business groups to make them aware of this advice, and I'd also ask employers to be flexible and consider letting staff leave early.

Deer stags pose in the snow in County Durham today as the snow blankets northern England and Scotland

'If you must travel, then please take extra time to plan your journey, listen to police advice and drive to the conditions.'

He added: 'Our winter maintenance teams continue to work around the clock and stand ready to react to changing conditions. I once again thank them for their hard work in recent days.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon urged people to be careful, tweeting: 'Travel conditions likely to be difficult so please take care, follow advice @trafficscotland - and only travel if you have to.'

West Lothian Council workers in Blackridge clear pathways of snow. Scotland is covered in a blanket of snow for the third consecutive morning (left). A man clears his drive in Blackridge of snow (right)

Traffic on the M8 Harthill in West Lothian. The police have warned against all but essential travel tonight

A car sits abandoned on a snow covered road in Castleton in the High Peak district of Derbyshire as snow covers northern England

Some schools in the Borders, South Lanarkshire, Perth and Kinross and the Highlands are closed due to the weather, while North Lanarkshire Council said schools would be shutting early.

A yellow 'be aware' warning of snow and ice for most of Scotland, Northern Ireland and North West England, North East England, Yorkshire and Humber is in force until 11.55pm on Friday.

It warns of frequent snow showers which will be accompanied by hail and lightning at times, particularly across western Scotland.